Safety equipment kit

ABSTRACT

A safety kit comprising a housing having a body portion and a front cover. The front cover is movable relative to the body portion between an open condition and a closed condition. The body portion includes a first side, a second side, a top portion, a bottom portion, and a rear portion which cooperate to define a safety equipment space. The housing further has a ring member positioned in the safety equipment space and connected to the rear portion of the body portion. The ring member provided with an outward extending retaining. A pair of earmuffs is disposed within the ring member, and a face shield including a headband is disposed about the ring member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/705,984, filed Sep. 26, 2012, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

In various industries and job tasks, such as the construction and medical fields, certain equipment is necessary, essential, and required for a worker to conduct the appropriate task safely. If the worker does not perform the task with the appropriate safety equipment, the worker risks injury to self, others, equipment or other facility resources and may break certain rules established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that protect the worker and those around them from injury. Not only does the worker not having the appropriate safety equipment increase the risk of injury to the worker, but also increases the liability to the employer. Many times the necessary safety equipment is lost, misplaced, or damaged. Thus, many workers arrive at a work-site unprepared.

To this end, a need exists for providing a safety kit which functions to provide the appropriate and necessary safety equipment to a worker at a work-site. It is to such a safety equipment kit that the present invention is directed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a safety equipment kit constructed in accordance with the inventive concepts disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a ring member.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an eye wash holder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, shown therein is a safety equipment kit 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention. The safety equipment kit 10 includes a housing 12 having a body portion 14 and a front cover 16. The housing 12 is shown having a box-like configuration, however, it should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the housing 12 may be any desired shape, such as rectangular, circular, triangular, and the like, so long as the housing functions in a manner described herein. It will also be appreciated that the housing 12 may be constructed from any suitable rigid, durable material, such as wood, plastic, metal and the like. The housing 12 may be mounted or otherwise fixed to a support surface, such as a wall, at a designated work-site, or it may remain portable so as to be carried to a work-site in the field. The housing 12 may be sized to be hand carried to desired locations and may be provided with a handle or some other such carrying apparatus. In addition, it should be understood that the housing 12 may be any size provided that the safety equipment kit 10 functions in the manner described herein.

The body portion 14 of the housing 12 includes a first side 18, a second side 20, a top portion 22, a bottom portion 24, and a rear portion 26 which define a safety equipment space 28 for receiving various types of safety equipment for various kinds of workers. The front side 29 of the body portion 14 of the housing 12 is open so when the housing is in an open condition, a worker or user may have access to the safety equipment space 28 for storing and retrieving the necessary safety equipment.

A ring member 30 is positioned in the safety equipment space 28. The ring member 30 is operably connected to the rear portion 26 of the body portion 14 of the housing 12. The ring member 30 is preferably tubular and has a sufficient depth so as to be able receive and hold a conventional pair of earmuffs 32. Conventional earmuffs for protecting a workers hearing are known to one of ordinary skill in the art, thus no further description of the earmuffs 32 is believed necessary. Although the ring member 30 is shown in FIG. 1 as circular shaped, it should be understood that the shape of the ring member 30 may be any known shape such as, rectangular, square, oval, and the like, and may function to receive and store a variety of various types of safety equipment in a manner described herein.

The ring member 30 is provided with an outward extending retaining lip 34 and a pair of extension members 40. The extension members 40 extend from a first side 42 and a second side 44, respectively, of the ring member 30. The extension members 40 are sized to receive and support the headband of a conventional face shield 46 or a welding hood. Conventional face shields for protecting the face and eyes of a worker are known to one of ordinary skill in the art, thus no further description of the face shield 46 is believed necessary.

FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of a ring member 30 a. The ring member 30 a includes a retaining plate 48 extending partially over the ring member 30 a to provide a space for receiving and retaining the earmuffs 32 or other equipment. The ring member 30 a further includes a retaining lip 49 extending from an upper portion of the ring member 30 a. The retaining lip 49 cooperates with the rear portion 26 of the housing 12 to define a channel 51 for receiving the headband of the face shield 46.

An eye wash holder 50 is positioned in the bottom portion 24 of the body portion 14 in the safety equipment space 28. The eye wash holder 50 is sized to receive and store an eye wash container 52. The eye wash holder 50 may be any size and shape so long as the eye wash holder functions in the manner described herein. The eye wash is for emergency eye cleansing to help relieve irritation, stinging and discomfort by removing loose foreign material, air pollutants or dust from the eyes of the worker. Alternatively, an eye wash holder 50 a may be mounted on the exterior side of the housing 12 with a suitable fastening member, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Eyeglasses may be necessary to protect the eyes of the worker, so an eyeglass holder 56 may be provided in the safety equipment space 28 to receive a pair of glasses 58. The eyeglass holder 56 is shown positioned on the rear portion 26 of the body portion 14 of the housing 12 in the safety equipment space 28. The eyeglass holder 56 may be sized to receive any size or shape of glasses known to one of ordinary skill in the art and may be positioned at any location in the safety equipment space 28.

The front cover 16 of the housing 12 is operably connected to the body portion 14. The front cover 16 may be connected to the body portion 14 with any suitable fastener 60, including hinges, screws, nails, bolts, brackets, glue, and combinations thereof. The front cover 16 is movable between a closed position engaging and closing the body portion 14 for storing the safety equipment when not in use and in an open position when the body portion 14 is in use. The front cover 16 and the body portion 14 may each be provided with a portion of a latch mechanism. The portions of the latch mechanism cooperate with one another to secure the front cover 16 in a closed position. The front cover 16 may also include a window 62 so that a worker can view the safety equipment within the housing 12.

It should be understood that the various components of the safety equipment kit 10 may be any size to receive any type of additional safety equipment, such as earplugs, gloves, goggles and various other equipment provided that the safety equipment kit 10 functions in the manner described herein.

It should be understood that the safety equipment kit 10 may be used for home, shop or industrial purposes and may be also be used by an independent contractor or may be provided at a work-site by an employer. For example, employers may purchase a plurality of the safety equipment kits 10 and place them in the vicinity of equipment requiring the use of safety equipment. Employers may provide the employees such safety equipment kits 10 which include the equipment necessary for performing the necessary tasks.

From the above description, it is clear that the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the invention. While various embodiments of the inventive concepts have been described for purposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the inventive concepts disclosed and described in the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A safety kit, comprising: a housing having a body portion and a front cover, the front cover movable relative to the body portion between an open condition and a closed condition, the body portion of the housing includes a first side, a second side, a top portion, a bottom portion, and a rear portion which cooperate to define a safety equipment space, the housing further having a ring member positioned in the safety equipment space and connected to the rear portion of the body portion of the housing, the ring member provided with an outward extending retaining lip; a pair of earmuffs for protecting an individual's ears, the earmuffs disposed within the ring member; and a face shield including a headband, the headband disposed about the ring member, wherein the front side of the body portion of the housing is open so that when the front cover of the housing is in an open condition, a user has access to the safety equipment space for storing and retrieving the earmuffs and face shield.
 2. The safety kit of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises: an eye wash holder positioned in the safety equipment space of the body portion; and an eye wash container positioned in the eye wash holder.
 3. The safety kit of claim. 1, wherein the housing further comprises: an eye wash holder positioned on an exterior side of the housing; and an eye wash container positioned in the eye wash holder.
 4. The safety kit of claim 1, further comprising: an eyeglass holder positioned in the safety equipment space of the body portion; and at least one pair of eyeglasses positioned in the eyeglass holder.
 5. The safety kit of claim 1, wherein the ring member further comprises a pair of extension members, the extension members extending from a first side and a second side of the ring member, and wherein the headband of the face shield is supported by the extension members.
 6. The safety kit of claim 1, wherein the ring member further comprises a retaining plate extending partially over the ring member to cooperate with the ring member to define a space for receiving and retaining the earmuffs.
 7. A safety kit, comprising: a housing having a body portion and a front cover, the front cover movable relative to the body portion between an open condition and a closed condition, the body portion of the housing includes a first side, a second side, a top portion, a bottom portion, and a rear portion which cooperate to define a safety equipment space, the housing having a ring member positioned in the safety equipment space and connected to the rear portion of the body portion of the housing, the ring member provided with an outward extending retaining lip, and the body portion having a tubular shaped eye wash holder positioned in the safety equipment space; a pair of earmuffs for protecting an individual's ears, the earmuffs disposed within the ring member; a face shield including a headband, the headband disposed about the ring member; and an eye wash container positioned in the eye wash holder, wherein the front side of the body portion of the housing is open so that when the front cover of the housing is in an open condition, a user has access to the safety equipment space for storing and retrieving the earmuffs, face shield.
 8. The safety kit of claim 7, further comprising: an eyeglass holder positioned in the safety equipment space of the body portion; and at least one pair of eyeglasses positioned in the eyeglass holder.
 9. The safety kit of claim 7, wherein the ring member further comprises a pair of extension members, the extension members extending from a first side and a second side of the ring member, and wherein the headband of the face shield is supported by the extension members.
 10. The safety kit of claim 7, wherein the ring member further comprises a retaining plate extending partially over the ring member to cooperate with the ring member to define a space for receiving and retaining the earmuffs. 